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Finding reliable, trustworthy child care can be a real challenge for new parents. There are several child care centers in the Skye Canyon area but not as many in-home childcare options that are easily found. For safety reasons, most in-home childcare providers do not have websites and many are now avoiding social media.
Bloomin’ Cradle Daycare is one of those hard-to-find in-home daycare providers for this particular reason.
Courtney Singer worked in education as a classroom teacher for 38 years and holds teaching credentials for Early Childhood, Elementary Grades and Adult Education in three states.
After retiring from the classroom, she opened her first licensed, bonded in-home daycare in a mountain town in Northern California.
“I thought I loved my job when I was a teacher,” she said. “When I started daycare in my home I discovered the joy of being able to take care of a child’s needs in a whole new way. Having the luxury of time to soothe a child in the rocking chair, being able to cook and provide nutritious meals, helping babies sleep deeply, teaching them how to interact and care for one another, brought me a satisfaction I had not previously known.”
Singer moved to Skye Canyon in 2020 and opened Bloomin’ Cradle. She found desert living to be beneficial to her business.
“Good weather year-round and no snow removal,” she said. “There are so many clean, nice parks, and a vast selection of sidewalks to safely take babies for a walk in the stroller. Skye Canyon has a small town feel in a big city. When I say I live in Las Vegas most people don’t understand that there are communities like Skye Canyon where your neighbors wave and smile, and it is safe and quiet, filled with hard working families.”
Singer said parents must weigh the benefits of in-home child care compared to a child care center and research both before making a final decision. She said the biggest difference between the two is time. With a maximum of four infants, Singer said she is able to provide time for both the infant and the parents.
“I spend as much time as is needed for each child,” she said. “Each task, each meal, each sadness, each joy, each discovery, each diaper change. Communication between myself and the infant is a key part of the developmental process. We talk about what is happening, what will happen, what our hopes and dreams are.”
She also makes sure to update the infant’s progress with the parents during drop off and pick up.
“Small size is a key element of infant care,” she said. “Not just teacher to child ratios, but fewer humans in one space. Less noise, less ruckus, more calm, more stability, all contribute to stronger infant development.
“The small group setting of in-home daycare significantly reduces the rate of childhood illness. Parents of children in in-home daycare miss less work and also experience lower rates of illness. I work very hard so that the babies in my care are very healthy.”
Singer said she can accommodate special dietary needs and is CPR trained as well.
At Bloomin’ Cradle, the first step is an interview process at a neutral site, so both parents and Singer can create goals for the child’s development. Singer has developed an interview protocol that helps her learn how to best serve the family. She only accepts two infants per quarter.
“My house is scent-free, hypoallergenic, disinfected, and I have no social media presence for my security and the security of your family,” she said. “All four are ways that I protect the babies in my care.”
Child care costs can be a factor for families and in-home daycare may be higher than a child care center, but the overall benefits also weigh heavily.
Singer said she’s created lasting bonds with many of the families she’s worked for.
“My first daycare baby is now 13 years old and he is a National Snowboard Champion,” she said. “ And he’s just been invited to train with the U.S. Olympic Snowboard Team.”
Those interested can call 702-476-8624. This is a landline and doesn’t accept texts.
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